Does apple replant disease affect the soil patch selection behaviour and population growth of Collembolans?

Apple replant disease (ARD) is common to all major apple-growing regions in the world. It occurs when new apple trees are replanted on sites where previously the same or closely related crop species were grown. Biotic (fungi, bacteria and nematodes) and abiotic soil factors (poor soil structure, nutrition) contribute to the development and severity of ARD. However, the aetiology of ARD and effects on higher trophic levels are still unknown. In that sense, Collembola might play an important role, since they are one of the dominant mesofauna groups in many soils. They act as decomposer, fungivores and predators, representing different trophic levels in soil food webs. Therefore, any effect of ARD on the occurrence of Collembola could have ecological impacts on the soil quality and health. Here, we examined the colonization behaviour of two Collembolan species, Folsomia candida and Sinella curviseta, in choice tests and population growth tests using Apple Replant Diseased soil (ARD) and non-ARD soil samples from different field sites and standardized laboratory bioassays. Additionally, Collembola behaviour was quantified by continuous video observations to investigate short-term behavioural changes. Results showed that both Collembolan species significantly preferred colonization of the non-ARD soils compared with ARD soils, independent of the origin of the soil samples or specific disinfection treatments. Moreover, the detailed video analysis of the foraging behaviour indicates rapid colonization of soil samples and low dispersal rates. Most likely, volatile compounds and to a lesser extent feeding stimulants play a vital role for the colonization process for both Collembolan species. Finally, results showed negative effects of ARD on population growth of both Collembolan species already after an 8-week period, implying strong nutritional deficiencies in ARD affected soils. The hypothesis that ARD causing microorganisms directly affected orientation, colonization and population development of Collembola is discussed.     

Sirtuin 5 regulates the proliferation,invasion and migration of prostate cancer cells through acetyl‐CoA acetyltransferase 1

Sirtuin 5 (SIRT5) is a NAD⁺‐dependent class III protein deacetylase, and its role in prostate cancer has not yet been reported. Therefore, to explore the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, we investigated the effect of SIRT5 on prostate cancer. Sirtuin 5 was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 57 normal and cancerous prostate tissues. We found that the tissue expression levels of SIRT5 in patients with Gleason scores ≥7 were significantly different from those in patients with Gleason scores <7 (P < .05, R > 0). Further, mass spectrometry and pathway screening experiments showed that SIRT5 regulated the activity of the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, which in turn modulated the expression of MMP9 and cyclin D1. Being a substrate of SIRT5, acetyl‐CoA acetyltransferase 1 (ACAT1) was regulated by SIRT5. SIRT5 also regulated MAPK pathway activity through ACAT1. These results revealed that SIRT5 promoted the activity of the MAPK pathway through ACAT1, increasing the ability of prostate cancer cells to proliferate, migrate and invade. Overall, these results indicate that SIRT5 expression is closely associated with prostate cancer progression. Understanding the underlying mechanism may provide new targets and methods for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.     

原油和消油剂对鱼类毒性的研究进展

原油对鱼类的毒性主要来自其水溶性成分,可导致鱼卵死亡或发育畸形,并造成鱼类麻痹、发炎、粘膜受损和死亡。消油剂的使用在分散了油膜的同时也带来二次污染,其活性剂对鱼类产生新的毒性影响。消油剂将原油分散为乳化颗粒并能进入鱼体内,加大了原油的毒性并延长其作用时间。综述了原油和消油剂对鱼类毒性的研究进展,展望了鱼类在相关毒性试验领域的应用及发展方向。     

斜带石斑鱼经葡萄糖灌喂后的代谢反应

糖类的主要生理功能是为动物机体提供能量,而且是比蛋白质和脂肪更为廉价的能源。相对于陆生恒温动物,鱼类尤其是肉食性鱼类对糖的利用能力低下,似乎先天性地具有糖尿病患者的某些生理特征。饲料中过高的糖水平会导致鱼类抗病力下降、生长速度减缓、死亡率增加等症状。鱼类解除葡萄糖负荷的能力有限从而表现     

Signs of deferasirox genotoxicity

Iron overload is a major health problem for patients who have to have continuous blood transfusions. It brings some metabolic problems together. Various iron chelating agents are being used for treatment of hemochromatosis which arises from excess iron accumulation. This study was conducted with the aim of determining whether deferasirox used as an iron chelator in patients with hemochromatosis has genotoxic effects. Commercial form of deferasirox, Exjade was used as test material. Test material showed a general mutagen character in mutant strains of Salmonella typhimurium. Deferasirox has also led to an increase in mutagenity-related polymorphic band count in random amplification of polymorphic DNA test done with bone marrow cells of rats. Similarly, test material has increased micronucleus formation in cultured in vitro human peripheral lymphocytes particularly in 48 h period. Consistently with the abovementioned findings, deferasirox reduced nuclear division index (NDI) compared to controls and some part of these reductions are statistically significant. NDI reductions were found at positive control levels at high concentrations.     

Testing the correlation for clustered categorical and censored discrete time-to-event data when covariates are measured without/with errors

In the analysis of clustered categorical data, it is of common interest to test for the correlation within clusters, and the heterogeneity across different clusters. We address this problem by proposing a class of score tests for the null hypothesis that the variance components are zero in random effects models, for clustered nominal and ordinal categorical responses. We extend the results to accommodate clustered censored discrete time-to-event data. We next consider such tests in the situation where covariates are measured with errors. We propose using the SIMEX method to construct the score tests for the null hypothesis that the variance components are zero. Key advantages of the proposed score tests are that they can be easily implemented by fitting standard polytomous regression models and discrete failure time models, and that they are robust in the sense that no assumptions need to be made regarding the distributions of the random effects and the unobserved covariates. The asymptotic properties of the proposed tests are studied. We illustrate these tests by analyzing two data sets and evaluate their performance with simulations.     

抑菌生亚急性毒性实验研究

本项研究的目的：是在一系列毒性试验的基础上进一步观察大鼠皮下给予由枯草芽孢杆菌ＢＳ２２４菌株制成的抑菌生后,对机体产生毒性反应的情况。结果表明：给药组大鼠饮食、活动正常。各项检测指标及病理组织学检查未发现异常,与对照组比较均无差异（Ｐ＞０．０５）,说明抑菌生无毒性反应。     

Anisakiasis: preparation of a stable antigen for indirect fluorescent antibody test

By coupling Anisakis larval hemoglobin with cyanogen bromide-activated Sepharose, a stable and sensitive antigen for the indirect fluorescent antibody test for anisakiasis was prepared. Using this antigen, cross-reaction with other helminth infections was minimized and the test was greatly simplified.Furthermore, the results obtained indicate that this technique may be useful not only in the sero-diagnosis of anisakiasis but may also be applicable to the diagnosis of other helminthic diseases.     

Comparative study of the assay of Artemia salina L. and the estimate of the medium lethal dose (LD50 value) in mice, to determine oral acute toxicity of plant extracts

Artemia salina L. (Artemiidae), the brine shrimp larva, is an invertebrate used in the alternative test to determine toxicity of chemical and natural products. In this study the Medium Lethal Concentrations (LC50 value) of 20 plant extracts, Aloe vera (L.) Burm. F. (Aloeaceae), Artemisia absinthium L. (Asteraceae); Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae); Cymbopogon citratus (DC. Ex Nees) Stapf (Poaceae); Datura stramonium L. (Solanaceae); Justicia pectoralis Jacq. (Acanthaceae); Musa x paradisiaca L. (Musaceae); Ocimum basilicum L.; O. gratissimum L.; O. tenuiflorum L. (Lamiaceae); Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. (Myrtaceae); Piper auritum Kunth (Piperaceae); Plantago major L. (Plantaginaceae); Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng. (Lamiaceae); Ruta graveolens L. (Rutaceae); Senna alata (L.) Roxb. (Fabaceae); Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl (Verbenaceae); and Thuja occidentalis L. (Cupressaceae), were determined using Artemia salina L. (Artemiidae), with the objective of relating the results to the LD50 values reported in mice (tested at three concentrations: 10, 100, and 1000 microg/mL, for each extract). We found good correlation between the in vivo and the in vitro tests (r = 0.85 p < 0.05), and this method is a useful tool for predicting oral acute toxicity in plant extracts.     

Mechanical properties of mosquito nets in the context of hernia repair

The paper deals with issue of applying mosquito nets as implants in hernia repair, which have already been used in resource-poor developing countries. Uniaxial tensile tests have been conducted on polyester mosquito meshes in two orthogonal directions. Non-linear elastic constitutive laws parameters have been identified to be applied in dense net material models. Mechanical performance of tested mosquito nets has been compared with properties of commercial implants used in treatment of hernia and with properties of human tissue. This study contributes to mechanical knowledge of hernia repair issue by investigation of cheaper alternative to commercial implants.